Reuters: White House, State Dep’t received e-mails within two hours of Benghazi attack about jihadi group taking credit

posted at 11:21 pm on October 23, 2012 by Allahpundit

We actually know most of this already, I think. Remember this Reuters story from October 2 describing multiple intelligence reports about a jihadi connection even in the first few hours afterward? How about the AP’s piece four days ago about the CIA’s station chief informing the White House within 24 hours that militants might be involved? The White House had plenty of reason to suspect more was going on than a protest that got out of hand, even from the very beginning. But that would meddle with one of O’s strongest reelection narratives, i.e. the president who demolished Al Qaeda (read this for a stark illustration of how certain key supporters are helping him out with that), so we didn’t hear about it until Eli Lake and CNN and Reuters all but dragged it out of him.

What we didn’t know until now is that the White House Situation Room got a heads up on whodunnit early enough that Chris Stevens may well have still been alive at the time.

The emails, obtained by Reuters from government sources not connected with U.S. spy agencies or the State Department and who requested anonymity, specifically mention that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks…

A third email, also marked SBU and sent at 6:07 p.m. Washington time, carried the subject line: “Update 2: Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack.”

The message reported: “Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli.”

While some information identifying recipients of this message was redacted from copies of the messages obtained by Reuters, a government source said that one of the addresses to which the message was sent was the White House Situation Room, the president’s secure command post.

Carney mentioned afterwards that “extremists” might have been involved in the, ahem, spontaneous protest, but he didn’t name Ansar al-Sharia or suggest that U.S. intelligence had a particular group in mind. Which is curious, because the e-mails pointing to the group’s Twitter/Facebook claims weren’t the White House’s only piece of evidence against them. Eli Lake reported three weeks ago that American spies captured communications between Ansar al-Sharia and the local Al Qaeda affiliate after the attack.

Ansar al Sharia has been declared by the State Department to be a an Al Qaeda-affiliated group. A member of the group suspected of participating in the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi has been arrested and is being held in Tunisia…

Fox News was told that an estimated 300 to 400 national security figures received these emails in real time almost as the raid was playing out and concluding. People who received these emails work directly under the nation’s top national security, military and diplomatic officials, Fox News was told.

If I understand the White House’s Benghazi narrative in its current form, it boils down to this. There was no protest, but the attack was still kinda sorta spontaneous insofar as it was inspired by what was happening at the embassy in Cairo. And it wasn’t an official Al Qaeda or Ansar al-Sharia operation, even though members of AQIM and Ansar al-Sharia — including the founder of the latter group — were on the scene and/or participating. Essentially, the White House wants you to believe that members of two prominent jihadist paramilitary groups were kicking around on September 11 when one of them turned on the TV, heard about the Mohammed movie from coverage of the Egyptian embassy assault, and decided to quickly pull together a complex, heavily-armed attack on the local U.S. consulate involving 20 or so people. Never mind that there had been harassment of, and attacks on, western interests in the city for months; these guys apparently had no serious designs on Chris Stevens or his compatriots until they heard about the YouTube video and hulked out in the form of an organized armed raid. The only thing that makes this story plausible is that security for Stevens at the compound was so disgracefully poor that hardened jihadis probably could have drawn up a play in the dirt outside the building and gotten to the ambassador. That’s Obama’s defense here, essentially — that the consulate was so easily breached thanks to threadbare protection for Stevens that it’s quite possible the whole thing was put together by amateurs, without planning.

Update: Patterico e-mails with a good catch about the Fox News excerpt quoted above. It’s Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen that’s been designated by State as an Al Qaeda affiliate, not Ansar al-Sharia in Libya. There are, in fact, multiple Ansar al-Sharias in Libya; I wrote a bit about that here. Al Qaeda HQ in Pakistan has evidently been using that name as an alias for some of its affiliates. The Benghazi group may or may not be one of them, but given their contacts with AQIM after the attack as described above, it’s probably a matter of time before State designates them an official AQ affiliate too.

and he jets off to Las Vegas to beg for more money. Is it me or does it seem even creepier this evening?

Cindy Munford on October 23, 2012 at 11:46 PM

Did Obama jump on the plane to Vegas after the time when his buddies would have emailed the situation room? I can’t remember the timeline of all this. New information coming out might change how we look at the previously known events.

I actually see this as a turning point for the media. I expect a blistering attack by the media against Obama. This is their chance to absolve themselves of their guilt for the fraud of a man they defended for years. If the media is smart, they will use this as a chance to show the public the are still relevant.

Going to make a statement first, then go back and read the previous posts. What has me STEAMED about these emails? Obama knew withing a couple of hours…WHILE the attack was going on…what was happening and that it was terrorists who were doing it. We have forces in Italy which are ONLY AN HOUR AWAY VIA AIRDROP from Benghazi. And yet…the White House…no, screw it…the President!…sat on this for SEVEN HOURS and did NOTHING!!! As soon as they heard about this he could have ordered our forces in Italy to deploy out there…been there in about an hour…and could possibly have saved our Ambassador’s life! It makes me sick that they played politics with this from the very beginning!

Okay…vent over…now I can read what’s been said before this.

Highlar on October 23, 2012 at 11:51 PM

what makes all that worse is that even before that happened, the obama administration denied giving that area more security when it was requested of them. they knew beforehand that there was danger of a possible attack happening there, and they did nothing. then the attack happened… and they still did nothing while it was happening.

and on top of all that, the whole thing about the youtube video unfairly getting the blame. and of course, suddenly everyone is talking about “islamophibia” and “hateful rhetoric” and all that pc crap. who started that rumor, anyway?

and on top of THAT, obama in the 2nd debate acting like he said from day one that it was a terror attack. oh he knew it from day one all right, he just didn’t tell the american people that.

this administration is full of lies even as people get killed and what makes me angry the most about this is the fact that they won’t come clean. every time someone asks the administration questions, there is always another cover-up. and they say “republicans are making this political” and that’s the narrative they are sticking with to try to avoid talking about this. they know that if this gets out to the general public, not just conservatives who like to follow political news, then the public will finally discover how awful this administration is.

if only they knew!! the public isn’t even aware. the obama administration wants to keep the public ignorant. and that bothers me.

First, from a Blaze article Sept 2 this year…OBAMA ON NOT REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE: AT 6:30 ‘WE WANT TO BE AT THE DINNER TABLE WITH OUR KIDS’…priorities, priorities

Second, it is unreasonable for you to expect decisiveness from the Boy King. Recall he needed to be dragged from golf to ‘make the gutsy call’ on OBL after thinking on it for 18 hours AND he needed four months to weigh the decision on the First Mutt for the kids.

If you would, in another tab, go to http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/ scroll down to the Breaking news: Emails show the Obama administration knew Ansar al Sharia was behind the attack in Benghazi and see if it’s there.

Did Obama jump on the plane to Vegas after the time when his buddies would have emailed the situation room? I can’t remember the timeline of all this. New information coming out might change how we look at the previously known events.

Buddahpundit on October 24, 2012 at 12:02 AM

He went to bed on the night of the 11th reportedly before even knowing the fate of Ambassador Stevens. The next morning, after giving a brief statement in the Rose Garden, he jetted off to Vegas.

Do try to keep up bayam. Though I admit it is hard to do with the new lies that come out of this administration almost daily.

Flora Duh on October 24, 2012 at 12:03 AM

You’re such a victim! And tell us, how many emails did the White House, State Dept, and other agencies receive that evening and how many of those were conflicting? Do you assume that the White House analyses its email to reach intellgience conclusions, or is that done by the CIA? You seem to have trouble connecting the dots.

But, but, but we were told the President’s Daily Brief, a collation of all up to the minute intelligence by the President’s Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, stated for days that it was the video … or something.

I’m wondering if he just didn’t want to get into the tall weeds about Libya with someone who has no compunction about lying to his face and to the American people. I don’t even know how you debate someone like that.

29Victor on October 23, 2012 at 11:50 PM

I’ve wondered that, too. There is pretty much no way to “win” a debate or an argument with someone who refuses to abide by the basic boundaries of truth and reality.

If you would, in another tab, go to http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/ scroll down to the Breaking news: Emails show the Obama administration knew Ansar al Sharia was behind the attack in Benghazi and see if it’s there.

Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching
Where were you when I was hurt and helpless
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else’s words
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sun

Who are these people that will persuaded to not vote for Obama because of Benghazi that would vote for him without it? In other words, they’re already incredibly stupid… how does Benghazi make them less stupid?

On Greta, they said the attack lasted seven hours. There is a military base in Italy, about 480 miles (1 hour flight time) away. The administration never called them. They sat there and watched our people be killed (in real time, so they had plenty of time to call for help) and never lifted a finger to help them.

2. think if the press goes full out on the bengahzi emails (i know, allred is much juicier for the gossip hounds)..but seriously, in they did straight reporting…what would that intrade map look like…like WI, OH?

The emails were sent by the State Department to across a variety of redacted national security platforms including the White House Situation room, the Pentagon, the FBI, the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department. Fox is told that approximately 300-400 national security figures received these emails in real time almost as the raid was playing out and concluding. Fox is told that figures directly receiving these emails work directly underneath the nation’s top national security, military and diplomatic officials.

You’re such a victim! And tell us, how many emails did the White House, State Dept, and other agencies receive that evening and how many of those were conflicting? Do you assume that the White House analyses its email to reach intellgience conclusions, or is that done by the CIA? You seem to have trouble connecting the dots.

bayam on October 24, 2012 at 12:10 AM

Well, let’s see. According the State Department’s Charlene Lamb’s testimony, she was following the attack in real time by video and telephone. Don’t you think any emails coming to the White House Situation Room during that time might have warranted immediate recogniton?

What other type of emails do you think they would have been getting – those notifying them that a long lost relative had died and they were eligible to receive the inheritance?

The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from the fact that the White House/NSA did not act when they had real-time intel about the attack in Benghazi is they wanted Ambassador Stevens killed or that they were unable to act because the president voted “present”, once again.

Either way, the MSM will not be able to ignore anymore. Hands, meet blood.

And yet with all these “conflicting” emails in need of analysis, he just heads off to bed and then to Vegas. I love your use of the word victim, since there were truly victims. Four dead and how many wounded? Four bumps in the road, but even you must admit that the optics are not optimal.

THIS!!!!111 Seriously? Anybody tech savvy out there know how to disable this?

Jackalope on October 23, 2012 at 11:30 PM

Go to Mozilla.com and download Firefox. Add AdBlocker plus, and you will never see an ad again. Also add “Cool Preview” and you will be able to follow links without actually clicking on them. Then go to Abine.com and download Do Not Track Plus, and you won’t be bothered by the FaceBook people again either.

Eli Lake, really has this story, cold, from the initial accounts to the radio intercepts, between the various AQ affiliates, and the militia, the talking points, the dossier that set the scene, the video type, everyone is just catching up

I thought these were the “techno” guys?? The super twitter users…the tech-savvy, video game developers and all linked in and sh!t…. And now, they act as if this event happened at the South Pole and we aren’t hearing about it for a month while a sled dog team mushes it back to the only radio outpost on the whole continent.